The Old Sailors

On the green riverbank
age late fifties
I am beginning
to remind myself
Of my great uncle Desir
in the Virgin Islands
On a Saint Thomas back beach
he lived when I last saw him
in a small shack
under the palms
Eighty years old
straight as a Viking
(where the Danes once landed)
he stood looking out
over the flat sea
blue eyes or grey
salt upon his lashes
We
were always sea wanderers
No salt here

The General Song Of Humanity

On the coast of Chile where Neruda lived
it's well known that
seabirds often steal
letters out of mailboxes
which they would like to scan
for various reasons
Shall I enumerate the reasons?
they are quite clear
even given the silence of birds on the subject
(except when they speak of it
among themselves
between cries)

First of all
they steal the letters because
they sense